Israel-Palestinian talks ‘to resume’
BBC Online
Israel and the Palestinians have reached an agreement which establishes the basis for resuming peace talks, the US Secretary of State has announced.
John Kerry was speaking in Jordan, after meetings with both sides earlier.
He gave no details of the agreement, but said initial talks would be held in Washington next week.
The last round of direct talks broke down nearly three years ago over the issue of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Kerry told reporters in Amman that the parties had “reached an agreement that establishes a basis for resuming direct final status negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis.”
“This is a significant and welcome step forward,” he said, but stressed that it was still “in the process of being formalised”.
‘Difficult road ahead’
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat and his Israeli counterpart Tzipi Livni will travel to Washington “in the next week or so” to begin initial talks, Kerry said.
Kerry said any details of the agreement which might be reported were “conjecture” and stressed that “the best way to give these negotiations a chance is to keep them private”.
He also thanked the Arab League, which on Wednesday gave its backing to his plan for resumed talks, saying this had made an “important difference”.
Earlier on Friday Kerry made an unscheduled visit to Ramallah in the West Bank, to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for the third time this week.
The secretary of state had also spoken by phone to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and praised both leaders’ courage.
“The representatives of two proud people today have decided that the difficult road ahead is worth travelling,” he said.
The BBC’s State Department correspondent Kim Ghattas says the agreement sounds fragile, and could yet be derailed before talks begin.
But these will be the first direct talks since the negotiations broke off in 2010, she adds.
Kerry has used the Jordanian capital as a base for this whirlwind four-day trip to the region, twice postponing his departure.
On Thursday, US President Barack Obama spoke to Netanyahu and encouraged him to continue to work with Kerry, the White House said.
John Kerry was speaking in Jordan, after meetings with both sides earlier.
He gave no details of the agreement, but said initial talks would be held in Washington next week.
The last round of direct talks broke down nearly three years ago over the issue of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Kerry told reporters in Amman that the parties had “reached an agreement that establishes a basis for resuming direct final status negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis.”
“This is a significant and welcome step forward,” he said, but stressed that it was still “in the process of being formalised”.
‘Difficult road ahead’
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat and his Israeli counterpart Tzipi Livni will travel to Washington “in the next week or so” to begin initial talks, Kerry said.
Kerry said any details of the agreement which might be reported were “conjecture” and stressed that “the best way to give these negotiations a chance is to keep them private”.
He also thanked the Arab League, which on Wednesday gave its backing to his plan for resumed talks, saying this had made an “important difference”.
Earlier on Friday Kerry made an unscheduled visit to Ramallah in the West Bank, to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for the third time this week.
The secretary of state had also spoken by phone to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and praised both leaders’ courage.
“The representatives of two proud people today have decided that the difficult road ahead is worth travelling,” he said.
The BBC’s State Department correspondent Kim Ghattas says the agreement sounds fragile, and could yet be derailed before talks begin.
But these will be the first direct talks since the negotiations broke off in 2010, she adds.
Kerry has used the Jordanian capital as a base for this whirlwind four-day trip to the region, twice postponing his departure.
On Thursday, US President Barack Obama spoke to Netanyahu and encouraged him to continue to work with Kerry, the White House said.
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